Download Literary Terms- Analysis Practice

Literary Terms- Analysis
Practice
August 21, 2012
Writing Section of Notebook
Allusion
• The following is the example from a text
(like you’ll be doing for your IRP).
“With a Herculean effort, Valjean lifted
the cart off the man trapped
underneath” (Hugo 45).
NOTICE: The MLA correct citation formation for the quote.
Did you find it?
• What was the allusion in the sentence?
• Reminder: Allusions are references, or
“shout outs” to other historical, cultural,
literary events, eras, and moments.
Yes!
•“Herculean”
Herculean: Hercules was a hero in Greek
mythology who was renowned for his
strength and courage. He is best known
for completing his 12 labors, which
included killing or capturing legendary
creatures, gaining various items, and
diverting a river to clean out the stables of
Augeas. A Herculean feat is one very hard
to perform, especially one requiring great
strength.
Practice:
• Ask yourself “How did this allusion help
me to better understand the book?”
• Specifically, what does it mean for this
character to be compared to Hercules?
• What new knowledge do you have now
that you understand this allusion?
Analysis Example:
The reference to Hercules, given during an opening scene
of the revolution in the first chapter of Les Miserables,
compares Valjean to the strongest man in Greek
mythology. This means that Valjean is VERY strong, and
knowing this, it is evident that Valjean might have to use
his strength to overcome more obstacles, besides just
“overturned carts”. This character description helps to
develop one of the main characters of the novel,
showing the reader that Valjean is perhaps a hero
because he is able to do great things with his great
strength. The comparison is more specific than just
saying Valjean is strong, because Hercules is the
STRONGEST, so therefore the description is more vivid,
if not exaggerated to prove a point.
Literary Term 2: Epiphany
• Task: Read the passage in front of you
and look carefully for a moment of
epiphany
• Define: an awakening or realization
• Decide: What is the nature of the
epiphany and what is its effect on the
tone (attitude) of the passage?
Example:
In this passage, our speaker makes a realization,
or has an epiphany, when she is observing some
caves. She has been looking for the answers to
the human questions of why we exist, what our
purpose is here on Earth. As she observes the
darkness of the cave, most likely a metaphor for
the unknown, she realizes that she can’t find the
answers in nature, or even in religion, but must
search for them within her own mind to come to
a conclusion. The tone of this passage is
exhausted and almost hopeless, as if this
speaker has had enough and has wearied of her
quest for answers in her old age.
Sentence Structures
• “She pointed out the interesting details of
the scenery: Stone Mountain; the blue
granite that in some places came up to
both sides of the highway; the brilliant red
clay banks slightly streaked with purple;
and the various crops that made rows of
green lace-work on the ground.”
• Loose sentence example
Sentence Structures Cont…
• “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning
from uneasy dreams he found himself
transformed in his bed into a gigantic
insect.”
• Periodic Sentence example
WHY?
• A loose sentence presents ideas in the order of
the subject-verb-object, which is the typical
English language structure. It makes your writing
clear and focused on the PERSON and the
ACTION, not necessarily on the rest of the
information contained in the sentence
• A periodic sentence creates suspense by saving
its essential phrase for the last part, building up
to the climax of the most important information.
This forces the focus on the details instead of
the main idea as well as affects the tone.